Ultrawoman Solas
by dfox300
Summary: Year 2030. The Earth is facing a new Age of Monsters, and the Space Garrison has sent a new guardian to the planet, However, this time round, it is a Blue scientist with pacifistic ideals who is chosen, and she bonds with a new recruit of CROW (Crisis Response Operations Worldwide) upon arriving on Earth while an unknown force plots against the planet... (Cross-posted on AO3)
1. Valkyrie Descending

**Disclaimer: This is just a work of fanfiction. The Ultra Series belongs to Tsuburaya Productions**

_**The events of this fanfiction takes place in the Original Timeline/Universe, twenty-five years after the events of Mebius. The main Ultra's abilities will follow the traditional format because I really hate the new format used in recent series where previous Ultras and Monsters are used as power tokens by new Ultras.**_

* * *

**Ultrawoman Solas**

**Chapter 1: Valkyrie Descending**

_**Introducing: Razorback Monster, Suressaron**_

* * *

_The Land of Light, located within the system Nebula M78, is the home of giants of light known throughout the galaxy as Ultramen. Transformed into their current forms by a powerful experiment meant to save their planet instead of a quest for power, these Ultras has taken upon the responsibility of safeguarding the galaxy with their new abilities, but it was not just the denizens of M78, for they were soon joined by similarly transformed beings from O-50, U-40 and survivors of L77, thus becoming a true force to reckon with._

_Since the 1960s, Earth has found itself faced with what is now known as the Ages of Monsters. Each time an Age of Monsters occurred, an Ultraman was present to help defend the planet alongside humanity. Some took on a human host who had impressed them with their thoughts and actions, others simply created or used their original human-like forms, but all of them had joined an Earth Defence Team during their tenure on Earth. The last to appear on Earth was the Ultraman known as Mebius in year 2005._

_Now, in the Land of Light, the Ultras prepare to send a new guardian to Earth, but the individual they had in mind was not who everyone expected… Instead of a warrior, a scientist will take the role for the first time!_

* * *

Planet Egufer

Those who witness the beauty of Planet Egufer would find it hard to believe that many years ago, it was noting more than a wasteland, the results of its now-extinct denizens constantly waging war on each other. What was once barren were now lush forests, dried-up lakes now brimmed with fresh water, and weather was no longer limited to sandstorms and heatwaves. All thanks to a forty-year long project initiated by a young scientist from the Land of Light.

Her name was Solas.

Hailing from the Blue Tribe, Solas was, like her people, a silver giantess with blue markings that covered her chest, halfway down her forearm to her hands, from her hips to her knees and finally her feet. She also had a set of Protectors around her collarbone areas that resembled three black lines, and the silver parts of her arms and legs had scale-like markings on them. Her head fin stretches past the back of her neck, resembling a ponytail of sorts.

A biologist and member of the Silver Cross Corps, Solas had always believed that Ultras do not necessarily need to kill when it comes to dealing with monsters. Inspired by rumours of an Ultraman from another universe who possessed a pacifistic nature despite his considerable strength, only resorting to violence when he has exhausted all options, Solas wondered if she could apply the same methods to the ones she faced during her missions.

So far, she was doing quite well, since Planet Egufer had been converted into a monster sanctuary populated by those she had managed to tame and befriended, shortly after her 40-year mission to restore it was finished. She even managed to revive the extinct Star Bem Gyerons, which would have earned her a Star Mark, but she had refused the award since she had used Ultraman Hikari's resurrection device for the final phase of reviving the alien bird.

"Ah, Planet Egufer becomes more and more beautiful each time I come for a visit. You've really outdone yourself, Solas."

"Master Seven, this is a surprise. What brings you here? Even Master Ace is here as well. 80 too," Solas asked as she turned to see the veteran Ultra Warriors Seven, Ace and 80 landing behind her, all of whom had taught her a few combat tricks at some point in time before they were deployed to planet Earth.

"Well, it's more of a social visit and an assignment. You haven't returned to the Land of Light for quite a while. 80 and Yullian were getting worried their childhood playmate had gone missing," Ace replied.

"I was actually about to prepare for my return, actually."

"Which, unfortunately, won't be happening, well, not yet, anyways."

"What do you mean?"

"Orders came from the top. Seems like they want a Blue Tribe member to go to Earth and protect it this time. And they've decided that you, Solas, was the right person for the job," 80 explained.

"Me?"

"You are among the most skilled fighters among the Blue Tribe, not to mention one of the smartest. Ever since we created the Capsule Monsters, you have always been the one to heal or repair them. You even created Sevengar…"

"Speaking of Capsule Monsters, how is Windam? I mean, both times that poor guy was close to death when you brought him to me," Solas asked.

"He is better than before. Anyways, back to the subject at hand… Mother of Ultra has already given her consent. In the meantime, 80 and Hikari will take turns helping to care of Egufer… Oh, this is very awkward…" Seven said, his voice trailing off into a mumble.

"Why did you have to mention _him_?" 80 moaned.

"So, he goes by Hikari now, huh? Creates a method of reviving the dead even though I said it was not safe, then disappearing like a deadbeat claiming to be on a journey…" Solas muttered.

"I take it you and him are far from reconciliation?" Ace asked.

"Two millenias is a long time to be angry. I've already forgiven him, but until he apologizes to me personally, there's nothing for him and I to talk about. But let's leave my uncle out of this for now. Why am I going to Earth? I mean, you guys know my stance about monsters…"

"I'm sure it will all work out just fine, although I must admit that humanity has a tendency of shooting anything that scares them," Ace said.

Solas sighed.

"I know I always said that I wanted to visit Earth, that humans were allies of Ultras, but didn't they turn on Mebius multiple times during his tenure there? Could it be that their society is degrading? If so, I don't really want to get involved in them."

"Humans are not perfect creatures, Solas. They made many mistakes, and sometimes they do not learn from it and repeat the mistakes over and over again throughout history. But humans also have strange, unique qualities in them that even we Ultras end up learning from," Seven said.

"Give them some time, observe their actions. Never mind the masses, just concentrate on the individuals you meet during your tenure on Earth. You'll be surprised. Besides, you might not want to be outdone by Mebius now, huh? I remember how you used to help him with his science homework when he comes crying for _Solas nee-san_, and now he's an elite warrior," 80 added.

"Oh, how could I not remember? The _kouhai_ has become the _senpai_, it seems," Solas retorted.

"It is time now, Solas. Perhaps, like us, your experiences on Earth would change how your thoughts and opinions of the galaxy," Ace concluded.

"You guys still haven't answered why a Blue Tribe member like me is the one going to Earth next? C'mon, there must be more than just the basic 'protect Earth' reason. You're hiding something from me."

The three senior Ultras looked at each other before Seven spoke up.

"It was a matter of time before a member of the Blue Tribe becomes Earth's guardian, but because of Hikari's time as Hunter Knight Tsurugi there, we fear that Earth would never accept a Blue Ultra as its guardian. You are among the most civil Ultras among both Red and Blue Tribe, so Father and Mother of Ultra agreed that you should be the first to go."

"Even Ultraman King has given his blessings," Ace added.

Solas sighed and nodded.

"Well, looks like its up to me to fix our Blue Tribe's image and honour on Planet Earth, huh? All right, masters Seven and Ace as well as my old pal 80. I'm off now," she said as she began to form her Travel Sphere.

"Good luck, Solas! Bring pride to us Ultras as the new guardian of Earth!"

"Enjoy your time there, Solas! I hope you make new friends there!"

"And remember, stay safe and never forget what we've taught you!"

Solas waved back to Seven, Ace and 80 before the travel sphere finally finished forming and sped off into space, with the destination being Planet Earth…

* * *

**When life is victorious, there is birth; when it is thwarted, there is death. A warrior is always engaged in a life-and-death struggle for Peace.**

**\- **_**Ueshiba Morihei, founder of the Japanese martial art of Aikido**_

* * *

**MARCH 10, 2030**

**MOUNT AKAGI, GUNMA PREFECTURE, JAPAN**

* * *

_It is the year 2030. Three years ago, scientists predicted that a New Age of Monsters was about to happen. Realizing that they needed to be more prepared than before, the United Nations set up the Crisis Response Operations Worldwide, aka CROW, around the world in case things get out of hand._

_True enough, the New Age of Monsters began on November 12, 2029, when a never-before seen monster later named Surasshuron emerged in Austin, Texas. This was followed by the appearance of a two familiar faces, Gudon and Twintails, again fighting each other in Hiroshima, Japan, just one day before the New Year. Thanks to their advanced technology as well as emergency bunkers stragitically placed around cities, CROW was able to keep casualties at the minimum and control the situation._

_But nothing lasts forever. At CROW's Far East Division, scientists were already predicting that the rate of monster appearances will only increase until not even CROW's greatest technology can stop them anymore. Little did they know that dark forces are plotting the demise of Earth, nor that hope was arriving yet again from the distant star of Nebula M78…_

_Now, on Mount Akagi, members of CROW Far East's Strike Units are taking the latest recruits on their final training, after which they will begin taking those who fit their individual criteria into their own Units: The combat-oriented First, the seafaring Second, and lastly the Third, first responders and rescue specialists…_

* * *

Several men and women of different nationalities around Asia between the ages of eighteen to twenty-eight gathered in front of a makeshift stand at the foot of Mount Akagi, each of them wearing a green military-like outfit and a field cap. Meanwhile, a number of black SUVs and a couple of tents were set up nearby, each of them bearing a symbol of a black-coloured bird in a white outline as well as the words "C.R.O.W." on them.

Standing on the stand was a 34-year-old bespectacled woman wearing a black combat uniform with orange hues which also beared the same symbol as the ones on the SUVs and tents, with a belt that had pouches and a two holsters each containing an advanced-looking sidearm and a baton respectively. She had shoulder-length hair and a youthful face, and her first name was printed above the left chest pocket of her uniform along with a '3' beside the name. There was also a triangular badge on her collar.

"All right, recruits, gather up and listen up! I am Captain Kobayakawa Fuyumi of CROW Far East's Third Strike Unit. You have been training hard and well for the last three months, and today is the day where you either make it or break it! The final test, combining search and rescue, combat and cooperation! Instead of competing with each other, all of you will now be working as a team."

The recruits began mumbling among each other. Fuyumi raised her hand and gestured towards Mount Akagi.

"The test, or mission, is simple. Three humans and a friendly alien have been taken hostage by hostile aliens, and they are hiding in the mountain. So you must take out all hostiles and rescue the hostages within three hours."

"Ha, this should be easy."

Fuyumi's gaze settled on a 24-year-old Japanese man sporting a short 'frosted tips' hairstyle and a cocky expression.

"What is your name, recruit?"

"Harusame Takatora, ma'am. From Hokkaido."

"Why did you say it was easy?"

"Well, the enemy are just people disguised as aliens, right? Most of us here are from military, so…"

Fuyumi laughed.

"Oh, it would not be a mission if it was that easy. Guys, you can come out now."

To the recruits' horror, an Alien Shaplay, two Cicada Humans and an Alien Baltan appeared, and they were as real as they can be, not disguises.

"You'll be facing them. Alien Baltan Manny would use his clones to act as foot soldiers. Alien Shaplay Hexa is the big boss and the Cicada Humans would be disguised as two of the hostages. By the way, they will be using all the abilities as well," Fuyumi explained with a cheerful grin on her face.

"We're really fighting aliens?" one asked.

"This ain't fair!"

"Aren't they invaders or something?"

"Now, now, drop the apprehension. These aliens are allied with Earth. They came to our planet at some point and decided to settle down instead of trying to take over unlike the rest of their brethren. When CROW was formed, leaders of a number of alien communities that had been hidden out of sight came to the leaders of CROW seeking to be left in peace. Of course, this was granted as long as they do not threaten us. In fact, CROW's Alien Policing Enforcement is run solely by aliens, with our Far East Division's APE led by Alien Shadow Vahan."

As the name left Fuyumi's lips, an Alien Shadow wearing a jacket with the logo of CROW emerged from one of the tents.

"I am Vahan, chief of CROW Far East's APE. I wish you all the best in this final test," he said to every recruit before disappearing into the tent again while the 'enemy aliens' teleport into the mountain.

"All right, now that everyone is geared up and ready to begin, on my signal… Begin!"

Fuyumi produces an air horn from somewhere and lets out a blast, causing the now-hesitant recruits to make their way into the forests of Mount Akagi. Once they had cleared the area, Fuyumi lets out a sigh of relief as she disappeared into the tent where Vahan had been in, grabbing a chair and sitting down beside two other humans wearing the same uniform as her.

"How many of them do you think will pass this year, Yves?" Fuyumi asked 31-year-old Yves Dupont, a stoic soldier with a short fauxhawk and a five o'clock shadow from France.

"Well, I am not too sure, but there are three individuals I have been observing. _Tout d'abord_, this fellow. The one who opened his mouth just now. Harusame Takatora, 24 years old from Sapporo, Hokkaido. In all the foot combat tests from ground to sea, he performed extremely well and his shooting is very precise. Not unexpected for a former JSDF sharpshooter, but he is also a known hothead."

"Interesting. Who is the other individual?"

"This young woman."

Yves pointed at another screen where a young woman with short ponytail fumbled her way through a bush while carrying a bag with a Red Cross logo marked on it

"Nomura Karin, 23 years old, paramadic from Ueda, Nagano. Has some background in medicine. She's like a reverse of Takatora, doing extremely well in rescue, combat support and medical tests. Not only that, it seems Commander Yamazaki personally recommended her. She must be pretty skilled for the commander to do so, don't you think, Rex?"

Yves poked the shoulder of Rex Han, a 24-year-old Singaporean with a regular short haircut who was also wearing a Tampa Bay Rays baseball cap that was operating the computers.

"Hey, stop poking the _gaijin_. He might click something wrong," Rex commented nonchalantly.

"Stop calling yourself that! I thought your passport is Japanese now," Fuyumi exclaimed.

"Yeah, but I still need to bring a couple of my neighbours with me when I want to eat dinner outside if I don't want the waiter sneering at my face."

"Hmph, at least you're Asian. Everytime I walk down the streets, the locals say nice stuff about me because I'm white and then start talking crap about me behind my back 'cause they think I'm American," Yves retorted.

"Yeah, I guess the Western _gaijin_ tend have it worst than the Eastern _gaijin_," Rex muttered.

"Well, at least they have enough respect not to say stupid things in our faces because we're wearing this," Yves admitted as he pointed at the uniforms they wore.

"Hey, look. The recruits are finally starting to team up. And Manny's clones are on the attack," Rex said.

"I hope that Baltan knows how to hold back. I would hate to be the one answering questions if a recruit is badly wounded," Vahan muttered.

"I don't think he even needs to attack. He just need to go 'ho ho ho' in the darker places and the recruits would come screaming out of there."

True enough, one of the cameras picked up the signature Baltan laugh, followed by four recruits tearing out of a cave, prompting everyone in the tent to start laughing.

"Now, back to the recruits… What about this young lady? Aozuki Otoha, from Maizuru, Kyoto. 22 years old, joined the police force after graduating from high school but left last year for unknown reasons. She mostly got involved in minor search-and-rescue missions and… What the hell?" Rex exclaimed.

"What?"

"She made over sixty-seven arrests during her three year career, all of them solo arrests, including seven murderers, a former male wrestler and two U.S. military personnel that got drunk!"

"You got to be kidding me, for real?" Yves exclaimed as he leaned forward to read the document on Aozuki Otoha.

"She's tough for a small woman. Damn, I sure won't want to be on her bad side," Fuyumi commented.

* * *

Karin came to a stop near a fallen tree and began taking deep breaths, having just got freaked out by the Baltan laugh. As she looked around, she realized she was quite lost, having not seen the way she was going during his mad dash to escape. The others who had gone in with him were also not within sight.

"Darn it, where do I go from here?" she wondered out loud as she made his way through the vegetation, eventually finding himself by the mountain road where a fellow recruit was resting. She was a young Japanese woman, probably younger than her, with a styled bob haircut and a clueless face.

"Hey, you lost too?" the other recruit, a female Japanese, asked.

"Yeah, I guess so. Whole mountain's confusing the brains out of me. I'm Nomura Karin."

"Aozuki Otoha."

"Nice name. Er, you won't mind if I tag along with you?"

"Not to worry, but I'm kinda lost myself…"

A bush rustled behind them both, and then another recruit popped out, dragging an unconscious Cicada Human behind him.

"Woah, who are you? Never saw you during the training before," Karin asked.

"Oh, wait, it's the one who spoke out at the captain during the pre-briefing. Man, you look different from forty minutes ago."

"Oh, the guy called Harusame Takatora..."

"You guys should be taking this last mission more seriously. They said only ten of us are going to pass. By the way, turns out the Baltan clones will disappear when you hit them with the paintball gun we are carrying," the one called Takatora said.

"You knocked him out?"

"He was pretending to be one of the so-called hostages. Anyways, turns out they have pretty weak jaws."

"So, what do we do with him?" Otoha asked.

"Beats me."

"_We'll handle that for you guys._"

The voice came from a loudspeaker attached to one of two CROW SUVs that was no cruising towards them. Four men wearing olive green military fatigues and wearing black Kevlar bearing the CROW logo emerged, carried the Cicada Human into the SUV and drove off.

"Guess CROW's troopers are patrolling the area just in case," Otoha said.

"Well, we should carry on with the test…"

The three continued making their way through the forest.

"So, er, Takatora, right? Why did you join CROW?" Otoha asked.

"I want to do more than just laze around in a military base with a sniper rifle that I never get to use. Joined them in the first place to protect people, but things should be a lot more exciting with CROW."

"You were an army sniper?"

"Damn right I am. Best shot in the whole of the JSDF. Even out-shoot the best snipers of USA, Russia and Canada during an international military competition. And just in case you think I'm boasting, I got the medals and plaques to prove it."

"Sounds like we got a hotshot with us," Rin commented.

"What'cha say?"

"What about you, Karin? Why join CROW?"

"Protect Earth, do my part. Being a paramedic in a division where men make all the rules can take a toll on your passion. When I heard that CROW had no such practices, I signed up. Hopefully I'm not walking into the same shit I endured for four years."

"What about you, er, Otoha, right? Why join CROW?" Takatora asked as he stared at Otoha.

Otoha scratched her head as she pondered for a bit before answering.

"Oh, well, I just, you know, want to help people, that's all. Not to mention that being a member of CROW would mean I get to get up close and personal with monsters."

"Huh? Why the heck would you want to get close to them? I mean most of them are the size of redwood trees or something. We'd probably be shooting at them most of the time anyways," Karin commented.

"I believe humans can co-exist with monsters. Besides, are there not friendly aliens living in the cities now? If we put all the hatred aside, perhaps a true peace can be achieved."

"That's a bit naïve, don't you think?"

"Why?"

"They're monsters. They only know how to destroy," Takatora said.

"But it's still a nice dream. Say, what were you working as before joining CROW?" Karin asked.

"Kyoto Prefectural Police Officer."

The other two stopped for a moment to size up Otoha, wondering how a small girl like her could have been a cop, but then…

"Shh, look! Hostage sighted, and there's two of the Baltan clones guarding her," Takatora whispered as he pulled the two women behind a large boulder.

True enough, a 'hostage' was seated outside a tent with two Baltan clones keeping an eye out for trouble.

"Okay, let's put this discussion aside and figure out how to get the 'hostage' out of there," Otoha said.

"Rush them and take them out?" Karin asked.

"Nah, Baltan clones can make more clones of themselves. Gotta be sneaky. Listen, this is what we'll do…"

* * *

"Oh, look what those three are up to," Rex commented as he stared at one of the screens in front of him which showed Otoha, Karin and Takatora circling their way around the tent where the 'hostage' was, ready to ambush the Baltan clones.

As they watched the screen, they saw how Takatora was able to sneak up on one clone and expertly take it out with a few blows. The other clone, however, had a rather painful experience as Otoha clobbered it over the head with a thick branch before Karin kicked it in the nether regions and stomped down on its head to the ground the moment it knelt down.

"Wonderful, it's a stand-alone Jack Bauer special with guest-stars Tom and Jerry," Yves commented.

"The instant teamwork is rather impressive, however," Vahan said.

"Either way, they did get the hostage to safety, did they not?" Fuyumi added.

"That was the last hostage as well, and the one that was hidden away at the hardest place to spot…"

The Alien Shaplay called Hexa is seen ambushing the three as they were removing the hostage, but gets shot in the face by Karin's paintball gun before Takatora K.O.s him with a well-placed roundhouse, followed by Takatora bragging and an obviously sarcastic response by Karin.

"And that Takatora fellow's also taken out our poor Hexa as well… All right, test's over!" Fuyumi said at last.

* * *

**MARCH 11, 2030**

**TOKYO BAY**

* * *

CROW's Nest, Tokyo Bay

CROW's Nest, the main headquarters of CROW Far East Division, is an artificial island located in the middle of Tokyo Bay, linked to the mainland via three bridges. Consisting of a main building that houses the administration offices, medical bay and the individual meeting rooms of each Strike Units nicknamed Roosts which also serves as the unit's personal quarters, the island also has a laboratory, a barracks for ordinary CROW Troopers that provide security for the base and support for Strike Units in the field, and lastly a hanger which houses the engineering department and the armoury, and lastly

Otoha, Takatora and Karin nervously waited at the lobby of the main building, no longer wearing their training uniforms but the black and orange ones of CROW's Strike Units, and judging by the number beside their printed names, they were going to be in the Third Unit.

"Darn it, why the Third Unit? I wanted to be in First Unit!" Takatora complained.

"What do you mean? Is there something bad about the Third?" Otoha asked.

"Man, you don't do any research, huh? Look, CROW Far East have three special Strike Units. The First Unit are aerial combatants, the Second Unit are the navy of CROW Far East and the Third Unit's just clean-up detail."

"Eh? Clean-up?" Otoha and Karin uttered.

"Guess we're the janitors of CROW Far East," Takatora muttered as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Harusame Takatora, Nomura Karin and Aozuki Otoha?"

The two looked up to see who was calling their names.

"Ah, good, you're all here. Rex Han, Third Strike Unit's designated engineer. I've been assigned to take care of you guys for the next two months so that you can adjust to your new roles. Now, I'm pretty sure I heard one of you guys say something about wanting to go to First Unit?"

Otoha and Karin stared at Takatora, who glanced upwards and acted like he had no idea what was going on. Rex stared at them before clearing his throat and continuing.

"Now, let's get you all equipped first. Shall we go the Third Unit's Roost?"

Before they knew it, the three and Rex were in an elevator going up the building, followed by a long walk down a corridor and finally to a set of doors which opened after Rex tapped his access card on a device beside the doors.

The three were immediately greeted by the sight of Tokyo Bay from the large windows of Third Unit's Roost. On the left were a set of electronics, computers and an office chair in the middle, while on the right were a pair of large television screens. In the middle was a long desk with chairs, and at one end of it was a special desk. A couch was situated near the windows along with a coffee table, a sandwich vending machine and a water dispenser.

"Not exactly fancy, but it'll start feeling like home. Now, where the hell is our captain?"

"She'll be back soon."

The three new members jumped as two other members of Third Unit suddenly emerged from behind a door with a crate.

"_Bonjour_, new folks! Yves Dupont, at your service," the Frenchman greeted.

To the surprise of both Otoha, Takatora and Karin, the person beside Yves Dupont was a young Japanese male, probably 18 or 19 years old given his appearance, with a messy curtained hairstyle and sitting in a wheelchair.

"You… Your legs…" Otoha stammered.

"Oh, these two? Yeah, they stopped working a long time ago. Iwamoto Teru, operator for Third Strike Unit. Nice to meet you, and here are the items you'll be receiving as part of your gear."

Teru set the crate on the long desk and opened it to reveal three sets of futuristic pistols, batons and phone-like devices.

"Othrus Beaters, they're standard T-batons but can be used like cattle prods. The electricity can also be deployed like a taser with the trigger button here. Then these are the Cerberus Shot, your standard laser pistol, but attach the Howler and you get a blasting weapon capable of destroying walls, or the Blackout to launch EMP shots, useful with robotic enemies," he explained.

"Lastly, the SCANcomms, they link directly to the Satellite Crisis Alert Network systems. Take one each. Trust me, they're useful," Yves interjected.

"Cool," Takatora said.

"I don't think weapons are cool at all. There's a huge responsibility that comes with wielding one," Otoha muttered.

"A good observation. I like your thinking," Yves said before Takatora could argue.

"So, what's the job scope for Third Unit? Someone said we're the clean-up crew," Otoha asked.

"Third Unit has may responsibilities in CROW. We're the first responders, search and rescue, escort detail and investigations. And lastly, yes, we supervise the clean-up detail as well. But like the other two Strike Units, our main duty is to fight any threats that show up."

Everyone turned to see Fuyumi entering the room.

"Good morning, new members of the Third Unit. I'm Kobayakawa Fuyumi. Nice to see you both again, Harusame Takatora, Nomura Karin, Aozuki Otoha."

"Nice to meet you, Captain," Otoha greeted.

"Now, I'm not exactly a rank-and-file person, so you have permission to only address me as Captain when other officials are around or during missions. Otherwise, you're free to refer to me by my name. Anyways, make yourself at home, and then we can- Oh, of course. We ought to show you the main toys, no? Yves, show them the planes," Fuyumi said.

"Oh, goody. Come now, new birdies. To the hanger!" the Frenchman said cheerfully

* * *

"Woah…" Karin uttered as she, Takatora and Otoha stared at three futuristic aircrafts in front of them, painted black and orange and bearing on both sides the logo of CROW.

The three aircrafts were designed to combine with one another to form one big aircraft. The first one serves as the front part of the combined aircraft, with red stripes on its wings and bearing the standard design of a fighter jet, albeit resembling an X-Wing from the _Star Wars_ series.

The second one, bearing blue stripes, formed the back of the combined aircraft. It was bulky and heavy-looking, with a cargo hold in the back and a pair of minigun-like weapons attached under its wings.

The third one was the smallest, resembling a Nighthawk Stealth Fighter and bearing green stripes. It was attached to the front of the second one and on top of the first one.

"Presenting to you, the Cloud Jackdaw. The red one's Jackdaw Flash, it's made for dogfights and strafing runs. Also has a submersible mode. Yellow one's Jackdaw Blade, designed for high-speed aerial pursuit and has special wings that can cut through anything. Last one's the blue one, Jackdaw Stark. Its main purpose is for rescue and transportation, but it packs the most heat among the three," Yves explained enthusiastically.

"Shit, I thought the Storm Ravens were badass enough, but we actually have our own fighters?" Takatora asked in awe.

"_Incroyable_, are they not? The Jackdaws are much more advanced than the Storm and Bolt Ravens, which were unfortunately only built for the sole purpose of attacking. Each part of the Cloud Jackdaw has its own special functions, but become powerful when combined as one," Yves explained.

Just then, an alarm began sounding as red lights flashed about on the walls.

"What is that?" Otoha asked.

"Emergency. Monster attack. Quick, back to the Third Roost!"

* * *

Third Roost

Teru was typing away at his workstation the moment they returned to their new workplace as everyone gathered around the middle table.

"Teru, bring up the screen," Fuyumi said.

"Working on it. And… Done!"

The big screens on the right flickered to life, with the smaller one showing a digital map of Japan which Teru zoomed in on a blinking red dot which also had an arrow pointing towards a direction towards east.

It was what was being displayed on the larger screen that really had everyone's attention, however. On the screen, a lizard-like monster standing at least 52 metres high was busting its way out of the mountainside. It had two rows of dangerous spikes resembling metallic shark fins going down its back, a pair of red eyes, a wide mouth and wild mane which made it even more intimidating, and its roar resembled a mix between a screeching tire and the horn of an ocean liner.

"Where is this happening?" Fuyumi asked.

"At a forest at Uratakaomachi, near the Chūō Line. At the speed and direction it is moving, it would take it ten minutes to reach Hachiōji City!" Teru replied.

"That damn thing looks familiar," Rex commented.

"It's appeared before. In Austin, Texas. It's Surasshuron," Yves replied.

"The same monster? Damn, that time it appeared, nearly two hundred people lost their lives."

On the large screen, a smaller screen appeared, showing a bespectacled man in his fifties with a receding hairline wearing a black suit over a white shirt and tie with three military badges above his left pocket.

"Commander Yamazaki!" Fuyumi exclaimed out loud as he stood to attention, with everyone else doing the same.

"Captain Kobayakawa, I take it you are aware of the situation?"

"Yes, Commander."

"First Unit is already on its way to intercept. I want Third Unit to assist the CROW Troopers in evacuation, rescue and medical aid."

"We're on it."

The small display disappeared, and Fuyumi turned to her men.

"Urgh, the orientation has not even finished and we're already having to deal with our first monster of the year… Everyone at the Jackdaws in two minutes. Make sure our personal Dasher is secured in the cargo hold before leaving," she said.

"Roger!"

* * *

CROW Nest Hanger

Yves leads Rex, Takatora, Karin and Otoha towards the Striker Jackdaw, all five now wearing gloves, helmets and Kevlar-like armor on their torso, with their equipment attached to their belts.

"_Surasshuron has reached the city and is launching attacks all over the place. Thankfully, CROW Troopers on the scene have already evacuated the area being attacked currently, but it would not take long for the monster to reach places that are still under evacuation_," Fuyumi said through the radio installed in their helmets.

"Copy that, Captain."

"_Just to let you know, First Unit is already engaging Surasshuron in battle._"

"Thank you, Teru. All right, listen up, folks. CROW Troopers have already establish a triage station near the southern outskirts of Hachioji, and our job is to make sure that the civies get there safe and sound. No heroics, and no blasting at the monster unless evac's finished. Remember, priority is the civies. And Rex?" Yves said.

"Yeah?" Rex asked.

"Please don't start shooting looters like the last time."

"C'mon, at least in the knee?"

"No. We're wasting time. Let's move out. I'll be in Jackdaw Blade. Karin and Takatora will man the Jackdaw Flash. Rex and Otoha, the Jackdaw Stark is all yours."

"We're a two-man team?" Otoha asked as she entered the cockpit of the larger Jackdaw with Rex.

"Yup, and we get the nastiest Jackdaw as well. Shame I can't show you its firepower since we're in a civilian area and the Skybreaker Cannon needs authorization from the higher-ups before we can use it…"

Once everyone was properly seated, Yves notified Rex to initiate takeoff.

"Cloud Jackdaw to Hanger Control, VTOL system engaged," Rex said through the radio.

"_Roger, Third Unit. Preparing take-off procedures. You are clear in five, four, three, two…_"

The Cloud Jackdaw exited through the now-opened roof, continuing to lift up until they have reached a certain altitude.

"_One. Godspeed, Third Unit._"

The VTOL systems the Jackdaws switched to flight mode and their thrusters fired up.

"Split!" Yves ordered.

Almost immediately, the Cloud Jackdaw splits into its three component aircrafts, and in a blink of an eye, they was gone, speeding into the direction of Hachioji…

* * *

Hachioji, Tokyo

A building explodes as Surasshuron smashed its way through the city, while several advanced-looking fighter jets swooped around it, firing at every pass. Meanwhile, the Jackdaws had arrived, with Stark landing while Flash and Blade flew around the area to prepare to engage when necessary.

Sitting behind the wheel of their CROW Dasher SUV, Rex sped out the Stark's cargo hold and past the panicking civilians until they came to a stop in front of an Irish CROW Trooper.

"Mighty fine driving you got there! Whole place's a focking mess and you're driving like you're delivering tofu through Mount Akina?"

"Nice to met you too, arse-face. Otoha, this is Lieutenant Ian Dempsey of the CROW Trooper's medical section. These guys are the ones responsible for rescue and medical support, so we will work with them a lot of times. Ian, meet the new girl, Aozuki Otoha."

"Wish I met you folks under better circumstances. Never thought I would see Surasshuron again. Was at ground zero when the first one stucked its ugly mug out the ground back in Austin. Anyways, there's this stubborn arse of a store owner near the post office, refusing to leave. Mind helping us with him?"

"No problem. You heard the man, Otoha, let's go."

Rex sped down the streets, passing CROW Troopers urging people to run for the evac zone, eventually reaching the store Lieutenant Dempsey was talking about. Within seconds, the Rex had already lost his composure and was arguing with the store owner.

"We need to go! The monster is just moments away from here!" Otoha urged.

"No! I need to save these products! I can't make a living if I leave them here!"

"We can get you new supplies! You want to die over some cabbages?" Rex asked.

"No! I won't leave my store like this!"

Otoha and Rex looked at each other with incredulous looks on their faces before turning back to the defiant store owner.

"I'll shoot you in the leg if I have to, sir!" Rex threatened, having lost his patience.

"This store has been run by my family for generations! I will not let it fall like this! I will…"

Rex jabbed his Orthrus Beater into the store owner's gut with it in Taze Mode, the baton acting like a stun gun as the store owner is rendered unconscious.

"What are you doing?" Otoha asked in shock.

"Saving his butt."

"You shocked him! What if you killed him?"

"Nah, he still breathing. Help me stuff his bloody carcass into the Chaser. Bloody hell, my uncle has dementia but he's even more reasonable than this idiot," he said as he and Otoha shoved the store owner into the Dasher.

"_Hey, Rex, Ian here. One of the evacuees said her son is at an apartment near your location. Could you check that area out?_"

"Any estimate on Surasshuron's arrival to our location, Ian?"

"_First Unit's keeping it quite busy at the moment._"

"All right. I'm on it. Otoha, check the nearby apartments. I'll go check this one here."

"Roger…"

Otoha to the apartment complex next to the store while Rex went to investigate the other apartment. However, the two had no luck, and after exiting their respective buildings, glanced at the third one, a five-storeyed building and the only one left that was still not checked.

"You reckon he be in there?" Rex asked.

"Perhaps…"

"_Rex, Otoha, pull out! First Squad just freakin' retreated! Surasshuron is now two minutes from your position!_" Teru's panicked voice came in through their SCANcomms.

"_He's right. Both of you get out of there now!_" Fuyumi's voice now said.

"But we haven't found the boy! You mean for us to just leave him to his fate?" Otoha argued.

"_There's no other choice! Get out of there!_"

Rex looked at Otoha, then back at the SCANcomms, before he turned to see Surasshuron just moments from reaching them.

"We can't leave that boy alone in there," Otoha said adamantly.

"Well, I ain't gonna do that either. Go, I'll distract it while you search!" Rex replied as he pulls out his Cerberus Shot and began firing at the monster.

"_We ain't doing that either! Standby for aerial support, you two!_" Karin's voice came through the SCANcomms.

The Jackdaw Flash suddenly came soaring by, its weapons primed. Inside its cockpit, Takatora was scanning the monster to find any weaknesses, but gave up and contacted Teru instead.

"Teru, any weak points on Surasshuron?" Yves asked.

"_The one in Texas was taken down by CROW North America targeting that red round spot in the middle of its head, but it took a lot of fighters to do so, and right now, you're the only one available._"

"_All right, fools, follow instructions next time, will you? Karin, arm Stalk-Trak Missiles now. Takatora, fire Gatlasers at the red area on Surasshuron's head, keep it distracted,_" Yves's voice is heard coming from the radio as the Jackdaw Blade came into view.

"Got it now… Okay, firing!"

The Flash's weapons began firing on Surasshuron's head, causing it to rear back in pain. Meanwhile, the Stalk-Trak Missiles were fully primed and Karin unleashed the first payload onto Surasshuron, the attack causing it to begin stumbling backwards as it howled in pain. This was followed by the Blade firing its own supply of Stalk-Trak Missiles as it flew past Surasshuron.

"Thanks, guys!" Otoha yelled before she sprinted back into the apartment complex.

As she rushed up the stairs, Otoha could hear the others still firing at Surasshuron as she searched just about every floor, but each level came up with nothing. Otoha even did a second round of checking, but still no luck. Finally, on the second level, Otoha picked up a low whimpering, and turned to the right to see a young boy hiding behind some trashcans.

"Everyone, I found the kid!"

"_Good! Get him out now! Surasshuron's losing interest in us! It's making for the building!_"

Upon hearing this, Otoha quickly grabbed the boy, who resisted out of fear.

"Listen, I know you're scared, but we need to go. Your mother is looking for you, so be brave, okay? C'mon, let's get out of here," Otoha said to the boy with a reassuring tone, who calmed down and allowed her to carry him out of the apartment.

Just as they were nearing the exit, the building began to shake as loud explosions are heard. Rex was standing at the exit, screaming something inaudible at Otoha, but as she got nearer, his words sent chills down her spine.

"Get out, hurry! Surasshuron fired some kind of energy bolt at the building! It's about to collapse!"

Holding the boy close to her, Otoha began running for the exit as the building collapsed around her, but as she was reaching the exit, she realized she was not going to make it.

"Rex!"

"Hurry!"

"No! I won't make it! Catch!"

"What?"

With all her strength, Otoha threw the boy out the exit into Rex's arms. As Rex grabbed the boy, he realized to his horror that Otoha was still in the building.

"Otoha!"

Too late. Before Rex could do anything, Otoha had disappeared within the rubble of the building as it was finally demolished.

"FUCK!"

"_Rex! Report! What happened?_" Fuyumi demanded.

"Otoha got caught in the building collapse! Get help!" Rex yelled as he got the boy into the Dasher before throwing his helmet aside and began digging into the rubble, praying for a miracle to save his new teammate while completely unaware of Surasshuron bearing down on him…

* * *

_Otoha… Otoha…_

Otoha stirred as she looked about, only to see that she was in some sort of dimension with psychedelic lights all around her. She was clearly standing, but she could not see any floors below her.

"Where am I? Am I dead?"

_No, but you were clinically dead for ten seconds. Three broken ribs, right arm bones shattered, internal bleeding and both knees dislocated, maybe a punctured lung…_

"What the… Who said that? Show yourself!"

A large silver face suddenly materialized in front of Otoha, causing her to squeak in fright as she sort of fell down. The face chuckled.

_Oh, you should have seen your own face! All right, all right, jokes asides. My name is Solas, a scientist from Nebula M78, specifically the planet known as the Land of Light. On Earth, my people are called Ultras._

"An Ultrawoman?"

_Well, you may call me that if you wish. Still, pretty close call, eh? Lucky I was patrolling the atmosphere when I saw what was happening. Couldn't help myself from coming in to save your butt. Besides, now I can patrol Earth more effectively._

"Eh?"

_Let's see… How to explain? Okay, here goes: I am the first Blue Ultra to be officially sent to be Earth's newest guardian. Normally, I would be one of the eggheads, but this time they feel that us from the Blue Tribe should take a more active role in the frontlines. Get what I mean?_

"Yeah, but what happened to me? You listed off like three injuries on me that would be fatal if left untreated and…"

_Don't worry about them. I bonded with you to save your life, so your injuries are already starting to heal._

"You bonded to me?"

_Think of me as a beneficial parasite. Don't worry, I will leave if you don't want me in your body, but only after I healed your wounds._

"Er, actually, I think it's fine if you stay in me, since I'm not exactly in the position to argue. Just, like, what do I do now?"

_I sense pacifism in you. That's nice. I was afraid I would end up with a host that thinks having an Ultra in him or her means beaming everything to explosions. I follow a philosophy that a monster should only be killed when all options have been exhausted. Seems like a start of a beautiful partnership. Here, a gift._

A box and a knuckleduster-like object appeared in Otoha's hands.

"What are these?"

_The box contains Capsule Kaiju. There's five of them, but they're not as strong as their original counterparts, so be careful when using them. It takes me a few weeks to fix the ones that 'died'. As for the other object, it's the Luna Blink. You use that to switch places with me in times of need._

"A transformation device?"

_Yeah, well, you could say that… Now, wear the Luna Blink, swing it in an arc to make a crescent as you raise it to the air, and call out my name, Solas. This will trigger the transformation as you call it. In fact, I think you should do it now, since we got a rampaging monster to deal with._

Otoha nodded as she followed the instructions given to her.

"I don't know what's going on, but here goes nothing. _**SOLAS**!_"

As she did so, Otoha watches in surprise as the Luna Blink began manifesting a gauntlet on her right hand…

* * *

Surasshuron was just about to stomp down on a distracted Rex when a pillar of light exploded from the ruins, knocking Rex back just as light particles gathered to form a silver and blue giantess the size of an 18-storey building swinging her right hand, which was encased in some sort of thick armour.

"Zeyaa!"

The right fist of the giantess connecting with the Razorback Monster's face was like a meteor striking the ground, as Surasshuron immediately crashed to the ground from the punch .

"Holy shit!" Karin exclaimed inside the Flash.

"Did you guys see that?" Takatora yelled.

"_Mon cher Dieu_," Yves whispered as well.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Rex had recovered just in time to see what had just appeared in front of him.

"Ah, this, guys… What the hell am I seeing in front of me? Is she who I think she is?" Rex asked as he began stumbling backwards away from the giantess.

* * *

Third Roost, CROW Nest, Tokyo Bay

Teru stared silently at the screen before turning to Fuyumi.

"Captain, is that… Is that the one you all call…"

"Yes, Teru… That is an Ultra. An Ultrawoman," Fuyumi replied.

* * *

Hachioji

The chaos that had been tearing its way through Hachioji suddenly came to a stop as all attention was focused on the new arrival. On the ground, everyone had stopped running and were left astounded by the giantess as she withdrew her fist and placed both hands on her sides as she glared at Surasshuron.

She was an Ultra from Nebula M78. Ultrawoman Solas was her name. And she is ready for a fight.

"A blue Ultra? Will everything be all right?"

"I thought Ultras only come in red and silver?"

"Remember all that damage Tsurugi caused twenty-five years ago?"

"Yeah, she does look a bit like Tsurugi…"

On the ground, the humans were making comments and staring at Solas with a mix of awe, hope and suspicion, though the latter tries her best to ignore them.

_Oi, Solas, would I get hurt when you get hurt?_ Otoha asked from inside Solas.

_Nope, unless something happens that is out of my control. First, however, I need to verify if the monster in front of us can be saved or if our hand has to be forced_, Solas replied.

Solas held up a hand, palm facing forward, and stared straight at Surasshuron. Nothing. All she got was rage, and a desire for destruction. This monster cannot be calmed.

"Oi, giantess or Ultrawoman, whatever you call yourself! Look out!" Rex's voice is heard screaming from behind Solas, alerting her to immediate danger.

Solas side-stepped just in time to avoid Surasshuron's tackle, tripping it at the same time and sending it sprawling across the ground. The moment Surasshuron got up, it was tackled at high speeds by a flying Solas, who quickly brought it to the empty construction field. Upon hitting the ground, the two rolled about for a bit before Surasshuron throws Solas off it and quickly got up to fire energy bolts at her.

_Aw, nuts, it spits explosive! Not to mention that powered-up tackle consumed one minute's worth of stored energy, which means I've only got five minutes left_.

_Wait, you have stored energy?_

_Experimental armour to extend our stay on Earth. Otherwise, my people can only last three minutes on your planet at full size before we need to skip town. This thing lets me last about seven to eight minutes all together. Still, using energy attacks drain the stored energy quickly, so I still got to be careful._

Drawing a circle in front of her with her right hand, Solas creats a large shield that protects the city from taking any possible attack from Surasshuron. The energy bolts are knocked aside by the energy shield, but Solas was not done. Again, she tried to reason with Surasshuron, but again, the only answer she received was blind rage before Surasshuron got close enough to bite into her shoulder.

Solas yelled in pain before forcefully dislodging the monster's jaws from her shoulder with an eye gouge, but then Surasshuron turned around and raked her body with its spikes, knocking Solas to the ground before giving her a few kicks. Surasshuron's attention then turned towards a group of onlookers and fired energy bolts at them, but Solas threw herself in between Surasshuron's attack and the onlookers, taking the blast instead. Her Color Timer started to blink.

"She protected us! But is she going to be all right?"

"We have to stop seeing this one like we saw Tsurugi. Even he redeemed himself, right? He's Hikari now…"

"Oi, blue Ultrawoman, you can do it!"

"Win the fight!"

"Yeah! Show that spiky boy what you're made of! You're as tough as your red brethren, right?"

_Please don't mention my cousin's name, but thanks for cheering for me,_ Solas thought to herself.

_You're Hikari's cousin?_

_How did you figure that out, Otoha?_

_Er, I believe I can hear your thoughts as you can hear mine._

_Oh, right, forgot about that. Well, doesn't matter. Let's not hide things from each other, 'kay?_

_Deal._

Solas got up, cracked her neck on both sides and, with a single leap, flew towards Surasshuron and delivered a powerful side kick into its gut, sending it flying backwards this time. When Surasshuron got up and fired its energy bolts again, Solas sent a blade hidden within her head fin flying out with a single swipe of her hands. The blade, spinning like a boomerang, sliced through every single energy bolt of Surasshuron before hitting it square in the head, knocking it off-balance while the blade returned to Solas who slotted it back into her head fin.

However, Surasshuron was quickly able to orient itself back and it was getting more and more angry by the second. As it prepared to fire more energy bolts, both Otoha and Solas finally concluded that they had no other choice left. Besides, Solas's Colour Timer, which was in the shape of a triangle slightly above her chest, was blinking faster and faster.

Stretching both arms forward in a horizontal manner, Solas slowly drew her right arm back while energy charged up within and around it, mimicking an archer drawing a bow, before she quickly snapped both arms back together in an 'L' posture.

"_Luminium_ _Cannon!_"

A rainbow-like beam of light is fired out from Solas's vertical right arm like a railgun as it blasted Surasshuron in the chest before the beam travelled up to its head. Explosions wrecked the Razorback Monster's upper torso and neck as Solas stopped the attack and gazed sadly at it. Surasshuron's eyes dimmed as it dropped to its knees first, then toppling to the ground lifeless.

The death of the monster ignited cheers from the onlookers once the results registered in their minds, yet neither Otoha nor Solas was enjoying the fact that they had just taken a life. Shaking her head, Solas silently bent down beside the fallen Surasshuron, causing the cheers to go silent as everyone stared at her with confusion.

Lifting the corpse of Surasshuron in her arms, Solas looked up to the sky and took off, disappearing into the clouds within a blink of an eye. Once in space, Solas created a wormhole to a planet near Egufer named Planet Stre where she would send the bodies of the monsters that had passed away on Planet Egufer and allowed the corpse of Surasshuron to be sucked through it.

"Be at peace now, Surasshuron," Solas whispered before transforming into a ball of light and returning to Earth at fast speeds…

* * *

"Rex, you all right?" Yves asked as he, Takatora and Karin arrived at the collapsed building, where he was still digging through the rubble, their Jackdaws landed nearby.

"I got to find Otoha," was all Rex replied.

At the same time, Ian Dempsey had joined in the search with three CROW Troopers, having overheard Rex informing his team that Otoha was caught in the building collapse.

"With all due respect, I don't think that lass can survive this," Ian said to them.

Takatora lets out a frustrated noise, as though he was stopping himself from cursing out loud.

"Damn it, this was her first day on the job…" Yves muttered with sadness as he and Karin joined Rex and Ian in digging through the rubble when…

"Er, guys?"

"Otoha!" Everyone exclaimed with shock and relief when they saw Otoha emerging from behind a large piece of rubble.

"A fridge and washing machine saved me by blocking the rubble," Otoha explained.

"A bloody miracle," Ian exclaimed with a whistle, he and his men looking quite happy to see Otoha alive.

"Why didn't you come out then? You scared me half to death!" Rex asked.

"Sorry, Rex. I did not mean to terrify you. But that Ultrawoman suddenly appeared out of nowhere and I, well, I couldn't move."

"Such an amazing sight, it is no wonder you cannot move," Yves replied.

"But what was with that Ultra? She fought and killed Surasshuron, yet showed it a lot of respect afterwards," Karin asked.

"Perhaps she doesn't like to kill?" Otoha suggested.

"Well, whatever it is, she saved the city, and I'm damn grateful to that Ultrawoman. But we can't keep calling her that, right. I mean, There's Seven, Ace, Taro, Mebius… She needs a name for us to call," Rex suggested.

"Hmm… She's blue, like Hikari… How about Guang? It means 'bright' in Chinese, right, Rex?" Takatora asked.

"Sorry, that's too masculine! Maybe, er… Cahaya?"

"What language is that?"

"Bahasa Melayu…"

Yves was about to suggest something in his native tongue when…

"What about Solas?"

Otoha's hair stood up at the back of her neck upon hearing Ian mention the Ultrawoman's real name. She could feel Solas getting nervous within her. She sneaked a glance at the Irishman.

"Solas?" Karin asked.

"Like Hikari's meaning in Japanese, Solas means 'light' in Irish Gaelic," Ian explained as he scratched his head.

"Sounds nice, I'll take it," Rex replied.

"Solas it is, then," Yves concluded, while Otoha sneakily lets out a sigh of relief, realizing that Ian Dempsey doesn't know that she was the host of Solas, just that the Ultrawoman's name happened to be a word that exists in the many languages of the human race.

_That was close, I thought I was about to get busted,_ Solas said within Otoha.

"Yeah, that sounds nice. We'll call her Ultrawoman Solas from now on!" Otoha said cheerfully, with the others agreeing as the sun began to set into the horizon…

* * *

_**Next time, on Ultrawoman Solas…**_

Third Unit heads to Kanagawa to investigate a series of deaths where the corpses were severely scalded. Evidence quickly points to a Cosmo Liquid, but when it does appear, this particular Cosmo Liquid is shown to possess unique powers the original did not have…

* * *

**SCAN Archives Data: ****Razorback Monster, Surasshuron**

_**Height/Weight: **_50 mtrs/18,000 tons

_**File Category:**_ CROW

_**First Appearance:**_ Austin, Texas on November 12, 2029

_**Powers:**_ Spikes, energy bolts from mouth, endurance


	2. The Watcher In The Water

**Ultrawoman Solas**

**Chapter 2: The Watcher In The Water**

_**Introducing: Giant Liquid Monster, Cosmo Liquid**_

* * *

**MARCH 14, 1530**

**TOKYO**

* * *

Sophia University, Tokyo

"…Restorative works in the Amazon had gone smoothly for the last five years, but why has it taken so long to respond? The answer: Because those who could have made a difference choosed not to do so. And not just in the Amazon. In every part of Earth, forests and jungles continue to decline at a rapid rate, which in turn has also awakened monsters that had long slumbered for ages without being disturbed by humans…"

As the presenter continued his speech on deforestation in the lecture hall, Takatora was sound asleep at the back despite Teru's attempts to wake him up without disturbing the others, especially since there were several big shots among the audience. Fuyumi merely shook her head with a resigned smile, wondering if it had been a bad idea to bring guests to a talk she was invited to before turning towards Otoha, who was unnaturally focused on the talk.

"I don't understand why we destroy the very planet we live in," Otoha whispered.

"Because people do not believe that they have the power to destroy their own planet, and thus they refuse to practice any form of restraint in the use of natural resources. And unfortunately, most of these people are in leadership roles for their individual countries," Fuyumi replied.

"And what about METEOR?"

"An alternate clean energy source. CROW uses METEOR, but due to how dangerous it is, our predecessors at the Guards of Utility Station, aka GUYS, restricted the usage of METEOR to one minute. In order to use METEOR without the limit in place, our scientists had to refine the power output of all METEOR technology used by our equipment."

"So our jets also use METEOR?"

"Yes, but compare it to the time it was used in GUYS, our METEOR technology's power output is merely one-fifth of its original power. Reducing it to such a level is the only way to safely use METEOR on a long-term basis."

Otoha nodded.

"Still, all of these things: Over-hunting, pollution, exhausting of natural resources…"

"I get what you mean, Otoha, but power and ego can blind a person at times. Thankfully, not every politician is like that. A lot have begun to campaign for cleaner energy and nature preservation since 2020. However, it took the recent mass extinction of plants and animals to finally forced the hands of the more stubborn ones, beginning with diverting all resources to the restoration of the Amazon Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef."

"But it was too late by then?"

"Unfortunately for the victims of the extinctions, yes, but it is a problem with humanity. Rex once told me something in Chinese that goes like this: People don't learn and refuse to learn until they see their own coffin."

"What does that mean?"

"People are too stubborn and stupid to admit they are wrong until they reach the point of no return, by then it is too late. Like that idiot who thought a piece of ice from Alaska was enough to counter the arguments made by certified scientists who had done years of research."

"Wow."

"You'll be surprised. Even today we wonder how we voted for idiots to take government. Lots of 'em around the world got villainized and forced out by angry citizens after it was announced that the Brazilian portion of the Amazon Rainforest have been reduced to half its original size last year. Heard some of them in Brazil even got lynched before they lost their powers."

"Hmm…" Otoha murmured to herself as she shifted her focus back to the presenter, unaware that within her, Solas was starting to have her own thoughts…

* * *

**MARCH 14, 2130**

**LAKE ASHI, KAGNAGAWA PREFECTURE**

* * *

"What a terrible night! To think it would start raining all of a sudden," a construction worker said as he joined the rest of his night shift crew in their rest area as they waited for the rain to subside.

"This is going to put a damper on our work. At this rate we won't finish the new hotel by next month," another replied.

"Speaking of that, seems like another worker at the site across the lake disappeared last night."

The other workers immediately jumped to attention.

"Woah, you're kidding!"

"That's three workers already!"

"Hey, you think there's a lake monster eating them?" a young worker asked.

"Oi, don't joke about shit like this, Yoshi."

"But the other construction sites around Lake Ashi have been saying the same thing. I heard a lot of the workers at the northern end quit after one of their guys disappeared and the others saw something in the lake."

"Well, we're not exactly right beside the lake, we don't have to worry about some lake monster eating us," another worker replied as he lit up a cigarette.

"Oi, Mitsui, go smoke somewhere else, we got flammables here."

"It's raining," Mitsui complained.

"You wanna blow us all to Heaven?"

Mitsui grumbled, got up and headed towards the lakeside. The others resumed their conversation as he left.

"Hey, Yoshi, what do you mean the workers quit after seeing something in the water?"

"Yeah, you seem to know the guys from the other construction sites around the lake."

"Look, you guys know our rival company which just had a contract with the Donaru Corporation? Well, my friend works for them, and they're building some kind of factory just opposite from us. See, he and the foreman were by the lake one night when they saw this weird-ass head pop out from the water surface. Did not even try to investigate, just hightailed it out of there," the younger worker explained.

"You sure your friend ain't drunk?"

"Or the moonlight playing tricks on their eyes?"

"He's a teetotaler. And there was no moon due to being cloudy that night. Other workers saw the same head the next three nights, then one of them suddenly got dragged into the lake in front of two other workers, and my friend and half the crew quitted that site on the spot."

The other workers are left speechless after hearing Yoshi's story.

"My God…" one of them uttered.

"I am getting a bit worried now," another said.

Just then, Mitsui is heard shouting, which prompt Yoshi and the other workers to jump to their feet and rush over to the lake's shore where he had gone to. It didn't take long to find Mitsui, who was uninjured or anything, but he had his butt on the ground and was pointing at something in front with a quivering finger.

"Oi, Mitsui, what's gotten into you? What is…"

Yoshi and the worker who was tending to Mitsui saw what the latter was pointing at and their faces turned pale immediately. One of the other workers caught up with them and gave a short yell in horror.

Two corpses laid on the shore, one partially submerged in the lake itself. Both had been scalded beyond recognition…

* * *

Recently, Lake Ashi had been hit with a series of unusual deaths in the last one week. All the victims had been construction workers working on projects around the lake, all have been found scalded beyond recognition, and CROW Far East Division had now gotten involved as the local police believed that the deaths may be related to recent monster sightings around the area. Third Strike Unit was given the job to investigate, while First and Second Unit were allowed to continue their usual routine but to be on standby as well for any possible incidents.

As CROW Troopers and other police officers scoured the scene for any clues while interviewing the workers, Third Strike Unit members Rex, Otoha and Karin arrived on the scene in their Unit's CROW Dasher as the rain got lighter, though it still showed no signs of letting up.

"Seriously, how many caps have you got?" Karin asked Rex, who was now wearing a red cap with the Liverpool F.C. logo on it.

"Ten, eleven maybe. By the way, no one told me CROW have their own brand of caps and berets, so I never got one," Rex replied as he pointed at Karin's new CROW-issued field cap which bears the logo of the Far East branch.

"Point taken."

"Hey, it's not like there's a strict rule on our headgear that isn't helmets. I mean, we're allowed to wear what we want for headgear," Otoha replied.

The two stared at her choice of headwear (a pink bucket hat with a cat design in the middle) and then glanced at each other before wordlessly agreeing that at least their's looked more professional, which prompted Otoha to remove and place it on the car seat of the Dasher before all three exited the CROW Dasher as a police officer approached them.

"Ah, you guys are here. We thought you might not come."

"Well, if we even slightly suspect a monster is involved in a case, we'll definitely come and help," Rex replied.

"In that case, thanks for coming over. It's the fifth and sixth deaths already, which is why we decided to call in CROW to help investigate because it was just too strange," the officer explained as he led the two of them to the corpses.

The girls recoiled when the officer pulled the tarp off the corpses while Rex showed no reaction whatsoever, though a faint look of disgust can be seen on his face as he bent down to examine the corpses.

"Jesus, looks like a sauna competition gone wrong… And last I heard, these ain't the first time scalded corpses were found. What the heck is going on at Lake Ashi?" Rex muttered.

"You don't feel anything?" Otoha asked.

"It's not that I can stomach such sightings. I just got used to it. If it makes you feel better, I froze during my first handling of a corpse for a full one hour."

"What happened back then?" Karin asked.

"Alien attack. The job was simple, just remove the dead guy from the car. Well, I was halfway to removing him when half his head literally just slide off and onto my boot. Now back to the job on hand. Any way of identifying them, officer?"

"Well, from what remains of their shirts, they were working for Donaru Corporation. Kind of strange, that all the deaths have been from construction sites registered under that company."

"Isn't that company under suspicion for illegally dumping toxic wastes?" Otoha asked.

"Yeah, how strangely coincidental… You would not mind us searching around the lake area, no?" Rex asked.

"Oh, please do. We're really appreciative that you would come down to help us out."

"Thanks, officer. Karin, Otoha, spread out and start searching for anything that looks out of the ordinary, but keep within sight of the others. And don't get too near the water."

The three spread out and started combing the shores of Lake Ashi, torchlights shining brightly around the place. As Otoha searched some of the trees near the lake, Solas began having a private conversation with her.

_Otoha, something doesn't feel right about the lake._

"Eh?"

_Use your thoughts to communicate. Think about what you want to say to me, otherwise it looks funny for you to be talking to nothing but air,_ Solas said.

_Okay. So what is it that you said did not feel right?_

_Sorrow. There is a lot of sorrow coming from the lake. And a lot of anger too._

_You can feel emotions?_ Otoha asked.

_One of my close friends, you humans know him as Ultraman 80, once showed me his theory on Minus Energy, that monsters are either drawn to or born from energy created by negative emotions. The creatures known as Hoe, Crescent and Gikogilar are among the monsters born entirely out of Minus Energy which 80 had to fight during his time on Earth._

_So what is wrong with the lake?_

_That it's beautiful?_

_Seriously, Solas?_

_No, but look down at your right._

Otoha turned to see a strange scale-like object of unknown material near her right foot which was blue but glowing with green veins. As she bent down to pick it up, Solas stopped her by taking control of her right arm.

_You might want to wear gloves for this one. Unless you want your hand to melt off._

_What?_

_It's got toxin in it._

_Right…Mind being a bit more direct next time?_ Otoha replied as she quickly took out her latex gloves and an evidence bag before grabbing the scale-like object.

_My apologies, speaking habit. I must have sounded rude,_ Solas apologized.

_Never mind that. What is this thing, anyways?_

The moment she had the object secured in the evidence bag, Otoha is startled by a sudden splashing. She looked out to the lake, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

_Otoha, be careful, I am sensing…_

Solas has yet to finish her warning when Otoha felt something grab her around her legs and started pulling her into the lake, causing her to scream in horror.

"Otoha!"

Karin, who had been just a few feet from her, was beside her almost immediately as she started pulling her away from whatever invisible force had grabbed hold of her.

"Hang on! Hang on, I got you! Rex! Something's got Otoha! Help!" Karin shouted.

Rex came running towards them with his Cerberus Shot already drawn. He could see Karin and Otoha struggling with an invisible force and immediately fired a few shots at the ground near them, but when it proved ineffective, quickly attached the Howler Muzzle to his Cerberus Shot and fired an explosive round in the area between Otoha and the lake.

A roar of pain is heard and the water of the lake erupted, drenching all three of them in water, but whatever was holding Otoha released her immediately, causing her and Karin to fall backwards. By now, the others at the scene were racing towards them, and seeing Rex firing his weapon into the lake, the CROW Troopers did the same with their automatic rifles until Rex stopped shooting.

"Otoha, Karin, you both okay?" Rex asked as he knelt down beside his juniors, a look of concern on his face.

Otoha, whose breathing was now at the point where one can mistake her for hyperventilating, weakly nodded before showing Rex the item that she found.

"Seal off the entire lake! Something's in there, nobody go near the shore at all," Rex ordered, to which the CROW Troopers saluted and headed off to do what they were told.

* * *

**MARCH 15, 0630**

**CROW NEST (C.R.O.W. FAR EAST BRANCH), TOKYO BAY**

* * *

Third Roost, CROW Nest

"Interesting find you have there, Otoha. Since I was on night duty last night, I had enough time to do some analysis work on this scale," Teru said as he placed the scale Otoha found on the table inside a secured container.

"It better be interesting. Otoha nearly got dragged into the lake by something we can't see, and I have half a mind to hijack one of the Jackdaws and strafe the entire Lake Ashi," Karin replied with an unhappy tone.

"Leave that kind of violent talk to First Unit. Anyways, I have deduced that this scale came from a monster that appeared in 1973, during ZAT's time as Earth's main defence force."

Wheeling back to his workstation, Teru brought up a kaiju and its information on the large screen for all to see.

"Cosmo Liquid?" Yves asked.

"A dangerous monster and the second one faced by ZAT. It devoured a number of quarry workers near Tamagawa River as well as six or seven others when it entered the city. ZAT was able to destroy it but at that time, another monster called Live King was fighting with it," Fuyumi explained.

"But Captain, I don't remember Cosmo Liquid being able to turn invisible," Rex said.

"Otoha, you are certain you saw nothing when you were grabbed?"

"Yes, Captain. I just felt something wrap around my legs and I could not move," Otoha replied.

"Hmm… This warrants an investigation. The original Cosmo Liquid only has the power to turn into a liquid form. If this new one in Lake Ashi has gained the power of invisibility, then…"

"Then we have_ problème_," Yves finished Fuyumi's sentence for her.

"There's one more thing that puzzles me. This scale contains quite a number of chemical toxins usually found in industrial chemicals. Paint, thinners, adhesives and sealants, coolants, you name it, this single scale's got it," Teru said.

"It's poisonous?" Takatora asked.

"No, it's mutated. And mutations in monsters can explain why they are different from their counterparts who showed up before them. I'm going to do more tests on this scale, see if I can determine how bad the mutation of the Cosmo Liquid is, or if I've made a mistake in the identification in the first place."

"You go ahead and do that, Teru. In the meantime, I'll need to go talk to Commander Yamazaki, see if he can authorize an investigation of the area," Fuyumi said.

* * *

"Well, Cap? Did the Commander approve?" Yves asked.

"Yes. It seems the Commander has become suspicious of why only workers from the Donaru Corporation are being targeted, so we got to investigate them as well, but we need to tread lightly since the Donaru Corporation's current CEO, Donaru Zaiji, has links to the government," Fuyumi replied.

"Huh, as if none of us here have links to them government as well," Takatora retorted.

"What do you mean, Takatora?" Otoha asked.

Takatora was about to reply when he is interrupted.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Kobayakawa's Timid Third," a voice called out.

Otoha, Karin and Takatora noticed Yves and Rex suddenly tense up, their hands turning into fists. Fuyumi sighed, turned around and faced a man in his forties with a crew cut who wore a uniform that had the same design as theirs, but was white with red hues. He was accompanied by a Caucasian woman and a bald Japanese man dressed in the same manner.

"Captain Senma, I thought First Unit was on duty elsewhere?" Fuyumi asked.

"Ah, that is true, I just wanted to see what the Timid Third Unit was up to."

"You know very well that not every monster attack can be solved by blasting it to oblivion."

"It's been working out well so far, despite your ideals of peace and love, my dear woman. Perhaps you ought to start firing those weapons of yours more often, or have you even fired them even once?"

"Well, the inefficient Third Unit is a bit too focused on rescue and safety to be operating their guns and bothering the First, but of course, should the one percent chance of any First Unit crashing their Ravens, the Third might have some difficulty getting to them."

"Ha! As if we'll crash! Maybe you should steer clear of our firing lines instead."

"Who is he?" Otoha whispered to Rex.

"Captain Senma Ban of First Unit. He's a war hawk, and also the definition of a working-class adult stuck with the mindset and mannerism of a schoolyard bully," Rex replied.

"You can rest assured, Captain Senma, that my men are smart enough to know when to get out of the place when your Ravens start showing up," Fuyumi replied, her smile looking more and more forced with each word.

"We'll see about that. After all, most of your original men are under my command now. Still, seems you got some new recruits, though. So let me be clear on one thing: Pacifism does not belong here in CROW. Third Unit isn't going to last long, but I'm willing to allow transfers," Senma said.

"Wow, thanks for the offer. You remind me of the lieutenant from my days at the JSDF," Takatora said suddenly.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. He thought he was a big fuck too, until I broke his arm and nose at a nightclub. Turns out he can't fight for shit, just a asshole who likes to shoot others."

The confident smile disappeared from Senma's face as a scowl took its place.

"You might want to be careful what you say to me, kid. I have connections."

"Yeah, whatever, try touching me and see what happens to your connections."

Takatora got right into the face of Senma, almost daring the older man to throw the first punch. Senma looked like he might really do so, but then stepped back instead.

"Let's go, First Unit. Can't have us be drenched in their loser saliva too long."

"Hey, Vice-Captain, if we get deployed in the same place as First Unit, permission to misfire a shot at Senma Ban?" Takatora asked as the First Unit walked away.

"I did not hear that, so… Either way, let's forget about him and concentrate on what we are doing. We won't be using the Jackdaws today, though. We'll go in the Dasher, and make sure the Sprinters are tucked into it as well."

"Sprinters?" Otoha and Takatora asked.

Yves turned around to face them with a grin.

"Oh, _tu vas l'adorer_."

* * *

**MARCH 15, 1000**

**LAKE ASHI, KANAGAWA PREFECTURE**

* * *

"Woah!" Otoha shrieked with excitement as she and Yves rode through the forest around Lake Ashi on modified dirt bikes, both bearing red and blue stripes respectively on their black paintjobs.

"Told you you'll love the Sprinters," Yves said as he cruised ahead of Otoha.

"So what exactly are we supposed to do here?"

"There's a construction site under the Donaru Corporation near here. We don't have to go in, just scout around the area and find evidence of any wrongdoing. Otherwise, we just leave them alone."

"Sounds easy."

"You'll be surprised. Couple of months before you joined, me and Rex were working with CROW Oceania trying to find out how a praying mantis got mutated into a giant monster in Australia. We tracked its source to a farm and guess what?"

"You got shot at?"

"_Bonne réponse._"

Otoha gulped.

"The Donaru Corporation is an arms company, which means they make weapons. The company itself has already been through dozens of scandals, including accusations of Donaru Corporation selling weapons to gangs as well as a white extremist group in America, so be careful around their employees," Yves warned.

* * *

"Great, I'm stuck in the plane instead of riding them dirt bikes," Takatora complained as the Jackdaw Flash circled the area around Lake Ashi.

"Hey, we got our assignments, so stop complaining," Karin replied.

"Yeah, well, truth be told, I hate flying in circles!"

"Get used to it, it comes with the job. God, you whine more than my grandmother."

"Why don't you just concentrate on the flying instead of comparing me to an old woman who probably isn't even military trained?"

"Hard to focus when there's a verbal machingun acting as my co-pilot. If it makes you feel better, Rex's stuck taking care of the other Jackdaws."

* * *

Inside the cargo hold of the Jackdaw Stark, Rex was happily playing _MUA 4_ on his new gaming device he got at a N**tendo Event two months ago.

"All right, don't go 0 HP on me now Wolverine… All right, finally unlocked Toxin! Ho-yeah," he said to himself.

* * *

Yves and Otoha stopped a good distance away from one of the construction sites owned by the Donaru Corporation. Stowing the Sprinters away in some bushes, the two stealthily made their way towards the site, with Yves using a pair of special goggles that he and Rex nicknamed the Yautja* Vision to spy on the workers at the site.

"Nice goggles," Otoha commented.

"You'll be surprised to know that Rex jury-rigged it from spare military parts that were given to him by the engineering department."

"He made it himself?"

"_Oui_. Rex's got mind of an engineer, but he is more interested in wildlife rescue. Personally, I think that man loves animals more than his fellow humans. Anyways, he used to be one of Chief Engineer Shinrai's boys. Hell, the Jackdaws' creation? He and Teru had a hand in its construction. Rex never thought he would end up flying in one of the Jackdaws himself when Shinrai recommended him to Fuyumi."

"Wow, I never knew that about him."

"There's a lot about Third Unit you have no idea about."

"What about you, Yves?"

Yves sighed.

"I was from CROW Europe, member of its fifth Strike Unit, but my team-mates, well, they had a certain… _Soif de sang_. They enjoy slaying giant monsters, but what good is wasting rounds on something that can no longer fight back? I couldn't take it anymore, so I tendered transfer. But when I came here to Far East, _mon Dieu_, there was First Unit, just like my old team. War hawks, sadistic killers of monsters. But then I was placed in Third Unit, and I met Captain Kobayakawa Fuyumi for the first time."

"What is she like?"

"Funny, gentle, courteous, pacifistic. She believed in theory of Minus Energy, that it creates or attracts monsters, and that every Age of Monsters in human history had been caused by us humans. If you look at the society with live in now, it actually makes some sense. Alas, these traits caused her men to all leave and join First Unit, those bastards! Fuyumi is a person who would sacrifice her own blood and bone for even a complete stranger, and once I saw what kind of person she was, I knew I am in right team."

"Wow…"

"But enough talk about ourselves. Let us focus on the task at hand. Ah, _qu'est-ce qui se passe ici_? Come, Otoha, take a look yourself."

Yves handed the Yautja Vision goggles to Otoha, who saw using it the workers of the Donaru Corporation dumping the contents from barrels marked as 'Hazardous' into the lake.

"They're polluting the lake, and why the heck are construction workers carrying pistols and sawn-off shotguns?" she muttered.

"Here, let me activate the Eavesdropper on the Yautja Vision."

Yves pressed a button on the Yautja Vision, and Otoha, despite being far from the site, could hear the workers talking.

"Zaiji better pay us more. We've been helping him dump his shit in the lake and now some monster's been picking off our guys."

"Yeah, tell him we deserve hazard pay."

"Better make a recording of what we're doing. If he refuse to pay, we post it up in YouTube."

"Ha ha ha, that is a good ide-AH!"

Otoha gasped as Yves instinctively reached for his Cerberus Shot. A creature had just burst out from Lake Ashi and had seized one of the workers in its claws. As the worker struggled, the creature hurled him back to the ground where his body skidded across the surface, leaving a red smear in its wake.

"_Mon Dieu_! Is that Cosmo Liquid? What happened to it?" Yves exclaimed.

The creature was indeed Cosmo Liquid, but it looked nothing like the original. Green veins pulsed through its body, its eyes were bloodshot, its prehensile tongue had turned black and its roars sounded as though it was in extreme pain.

The other worker tried to flee, screaming a warning to his fellows as he did so, but then Cosmo Liquid opened its mouth and the worker suddenly goes down, his back pierced by multiple icicles. The rest of the workers started fleeing, but Cosmo Liquid started unleashing a stream of white steam. Otoha could hear some workers screaming in pain and, disturbingly, a sound that resembled oil crackling in a frying pan.

Snatching the Yautja Vision off Otoha, Yves pulled her to her feet.

"We must go! Now!"

The two rushed back to their CROW Sprinters and took off.

"Member Yves Dupont to all Third Unit and nearby CROW personnal! Cosmo Liquid confirmed at Lake Ashi. Permission to engage?"

"_Permission granted, but priority is to evacuate everyone near Lake Ashi and warn all nearby settlements_," Fuyumi's voice came through the radio.

"_You guys better be careful as well. From what me and Captain Fuyumi can see, this Cosmo Liquid ain't normal. SCAN just analysed it and there's something about its biology that's completely effed up,_" Teru added.

Even from the distance, Yves and Otoha could hear the warning sirens going off, warning every nearby town and city of a monster attack. Meanwhile, above them, the Jackdaw Flash was already making its way towards Cosmo Liquid.

Yves and Otoha skidded to a halt as Rex, who had exited the Jackdaw Saver to evacuate some Lake Ashi visitors into a tour bus, spotted them.

"Yves! Those two idiots in the Flash just took off to engage Cosma- Costco- Ah, whatever that thing is called. They didn't wait for us!" he yelled.

"Ah, that's just great! Quick, we'll split off in the air and join the assault."

Within moments, the remaining Jackdaws have split, with Yves in the Blade and Rex and Otoha in the Stark, as Cosmo Liquid began thrashing through a golf course where a couple of nearby CROW Troopers were still in the midst of evacuating the visitors, uninterested in the Jackdaw Flash that was attacking it.

"Damn, everyone's still in danger," Otoha said.

"We got to do something. The Gatlasers aren't drawing its attention," Rex added as he fired at Cosmo Liquid to no effect.

"_Launching Stalk-Trak Missiles!_" Karin is heard saying on the radio just before four missiles shot out from the Jackdaw Flash and struck Cosmo Liquid.

"_Keep firing! We got to lure its attention until evacuation is completed!_" Yves ordered.

The green veins on Cosmo Liquid pulsed each time before it roared, as though they were hurting it, but it continued forward.

"_Rex, used the Shock Shot!_" Fuyumi ordered through the radio.

"What? Captain, the Shock Shot is…"

"_I know the risk and I hate the idea of using it, but the standard Gatlasers are not working on Cosmo Liquid, that is why I am temporarily authorising the use of the Shock Shot. Maintain Shock Shot for twenty seconds and power limit to fifteen percent. Do not go beyond that._"

"Roger, Captain," Rex replied, but Otoha noticed the uncomfortable look on his face.

"Rex, what's the Shock Shot?" she asked.

Rex groaned.

"It's like a taser for monsters, but the damage it causes, I still shudder to think about it. The first time we deployed it was on a Zakira. The Shock Shot didn't kill it, but the burns it caused, well, I still have nightmares about it… Ever since then, when the Shock Shot has to be deployed, we use less than thirty percent of its full power and only maintain it for thirty seconds at most."

As the Jackdaw Stark closed in on Cosmo Liquid, a ray gun the length of a human arm is deployed from an opening behind the cockpit with multiple cables connected to it.

"Preparing to fire Shock Shot… Aborting! Aborting!"

Rex quickly swerved the Jackdaw Stark from Cosmo Liquid as raindrops began falling on the cockpit's hyper-reinforced glass. Meanwhile, Cosmo Liquid looked up at the rain that was starting to fall around it and roared before it glowed green and suddenly disappeared.

"What? It's gone?" Karin exclaimed as the Jackdaw Flash began flying in circles again.

"_Cosmo Liquid transformed into its liquid form and has escaped. It's most likely mixed with the rain,_" Teru explained.

"Well, shit, where did it go? Can you track it?" Yves asked as the Jackdaw Blade began to initiate the rejoining of all three Jackdaws into the Cloud Jackdaw

"_Not anymore. I suggest you guys come back first to refuel, reload and rest._"

* * *

**MARCH 15, 1310**

**CROW NEST (C.R.O.W. FAR EAST BRANCH), TOKYO BAY**

* * *

"That Senma Ban from First Unit is busy telling everyone how us Third Unit allowed Cosmo Liquid to escape. Old fart with the brain of a preschool bully," Takatora complained.

"Let him say whatever he wants. No one in GEAR Far East likes the First Unit anyway. We keep them around because they're good at delivering firepower, that's all," Rex replied.

"Either way, I doubt Commander Yamazaki would be sending First Unit to deal with Cosmo Liquid given the information Teru found about this particular one," Fuyumi said as Teru brought up on the screen a toxicology report.

"Based on SCAN's analysis of this particular Cosmo Liquid, almost every part of its body is poisonous."

"Excuse me?" Yves asked as his eyes widened.

"Well, this Cosmo Liquid is very, very mutated by all the toxin you and Otoha saw being dumped into Lake Ashi by the Donaru Corporation. It's genetic structure has been changed, giving it new abilities via organs that should not exist in its body."

Wheeling himself over to the screen, Teru grabs a nearby mop and used its handle to point out various parts of Cosmo Liquid's internal structure via an x-ray taken through SCAN.

"Its lungs have become able to eject water forcefully. This lump near its throat is similar to fire-making organs found in Arstron and Femigon, which quickly evaporates the water and ends up with Cosmo Liquid unleashing fatal scalding steam from its mouth. Also, its skin has been so damaged by the toxins that it has gained qualities similar to the skin of monsters like Neronga and Eletordus."

"Both are electrical monsters capable of turning invisible, right?" Otoha asked.

"Exactly," Fuyumi replied.

"Well, I got more bad news. If our attacks penetrate Cosmo Liquid's skin, it would become an environmental disaster," Teru added.

"Why?"

"Cosmo Liquid is like a jellyfish, 95% of its body is water. Our weakest weapon, the Gatlasers, are still hot enough to evaporate water within miliseconds."

"Wait, if what you're saying is right, that means if we somehow injure it, we'll be releasing toxic fumes into the air?" Rex asked.

"Invisible toxic fumes, to be exact. No one would know until they start collapsing and foaming."

"Oh, fuck nuts. How that hell do we even fight it like this?" Takatora cursed as he got up and kicked his chair in frustration.

"Now I know what Captain Fuyumi meant by Commander Yamazaki not wanting to send First Unit after Cosmo Liquid… Those trigger-happy guys would cause a disaster," Karin mused.

"Not to mention that this Cosmo Liquid still retains its usual abilities. Its ability to turn into a liquid form is troubling… Any idea where it might be found next?" Fuyumi said.

"Well, since we attacked it at Lake Ashi, I doubt it will go back there, but then again, it may not have gone far…"

The alarm started ringing all of a sudden.

"Well, speak of Cao Cao** and he shows up," Teru muttered as he wheeled himself back to his workstation and brought up a screen showing the live recording from the nearest SCAN satellite orbiting in space.

"Cosmo Liquid just showed up near Odawara Castle in Kanagawa and it's on the attack! First Unit's busy helping Second Unit deal with a Bostang infestation at the Mariana Trench so Third Unit's been assigned to deal with Cosmo Liquid!"

"Third Unit, move out immediately!" Fuyumi ordered.

"Roger!"

* * *

**MARCH 15, 1325**

**ODAWARA CASTLE, ODAWARA, KANAGAWA PREFECTURE**

* * *

Cosmo Liquid crashed its way through a building as frightened crowds ran about like headless chickens, all trying to get away from the latest menace to attack their city. The historical Odawara Castle was now in danger of being destroyed by the rampaging monster, for it was next in the path of Cosmo Liquid.

Just as the Giant Liquid Monster was about to wreck the castle, it was shot in the back, causing it to turn around just in time to see the Cloud Jackdaw approaching.

"Damn it, Takatora! Be careful how you shoot it!" Yves yelled through the radio of the Jackdaw Blade.

Inside the Jackdaw Flash, Takatora shrugged as Karin glared at him.

"Sorry, Vice-captain, Takatora's got sweaty fingers," she said sarcastically.

"Who are you calling sweaty fingers, she-wolf?"

"You want to poison the whole city?"

"Okay, okay, I get it! But what was I supposed to do, let Odawara Castle get demolished?"

"All right, I'll give you that one…"

"_How about the both of you stop fighting with each other and find a way to lure Cosmo Liquid away from the city so we can shoot him without killing everyone else?_" Yves roared.

Meanwhile, within the cockpit of the Jackdaw Stark, Rex and Otoha sighed at the whole situation.

"C'mon, fighting during a mission? That's like signing out death warrants," Rex complained.

"Wasn't expecting them to become frenemies," Otoha added.

Cosmo Liquid roared at its attackers before firing a powerful burst of scalding steam at the approaching Cloud Jackdaw.

"Split!" Yves ordered.

Immediately, the Cloud Jackdaw splits into the Flash, Blade and Stark, all three aircrafts avoiding the attack.

"Hey, the Stark's damn heavy, right? Meant to take a lot of punishment?" Otoha asked Rex.

"Er, yeah?"

"Can we try using it to push Cosmo Liquid away from the city?"

"Worth a shot. Okay, guys! Me and Otoha are gonna try pushing it out of the city with the Stark!" Rex said.

"_Are you sure? It's risky!_" Yves said with a worried tone.

"Well, we can't exactly shoot it…"

"_Go ahead, we'll provide fire support when necessary._"

The heavy and well-armoured Jackdaw Stark deliberately collided with Cosmo Liquid and began pushing it out of the city limits, Rex and Otoha gunning down on the boosters. When Cosmo Liquid looked like it was going to push back, Yves swooped past and dropped a pair of Homing Bombers from the Jackdaw Blade to stun Cosmo Liquid.

"Let's go help too," Karin said as she swerved the Jackdaw Flash around and began surging towards Cosmo Liquid.

"Wait, we can't! The Flash is a lightweight aircraft and…" Takatora protested.

"I can't just sit around and use eye power when my team-mates are risking their lives over here!" Karin cuts off Takatora.

"No, stop! You'll make things worst! Cosmo Liquid's tongue…"

Takatora's warning came too late as Cosmo Liquid extended its prehensile tongue and snatched the Flash from midair before starting to swing it around, both Karin and Takatora being heard screaming through the radio from inside the cockpit.

"Oh, bollocks," Rex uttered as he turned his head to see Cosmo Liquid swinging the Flash towards the Stark, slamming it away from its chest before tossing the Flash towards the city, where it struck a small building and crashed to the ground.

"Yves, the Flash's down, and the Stark's going too!" Otoha yelled as Rex struggled to control the falling Stark which was plummeting to the ground.

"No good! The radio got damaged when Cosmo Liquid slammed Flash into us!" Rex replied.

"We're gonna crash!"

"Not if I can help it!"

Screaming with determination, Rex pulled at the joystick controls of the Stark, successfully swerving it away from crashing nose-first into the ground. The Stark then hit a house, landing on the road and skidding all the way until it came to a rest, barely avoiding crashing into a building.

"What a bumpy landing," Otoha commented as she and Rex recovered from the crash-landing.

"Sorry, Otoha. Despite their design, the Stark's controls are a bit more closer to helicopter controls than jets. I used to be the co-pilot while Captain Fuyumi handled the machine, but now she's taken the backseat, I'm temporarily the main pilot. Still getting used to it," Rex apologized.

"No worries. C'mon, let's get to the Flash and see if Takatora and Karin are all right."

"You go on ahead."

"Why? We can go together…"

Otoha's voice trailed off when she saw Rex's torn gloves and bloodied hand. Pulling off Rex's gloves and rolling up his sleeves, Otoha is stunned to see how bruised his right arm was. His right wrist was starting to swell as well.

"Muscle strains. Pulled too hard on the controls," Rex said with a sheepish grin.

"Thank God it's not a dislocation. Okay, hold still. I'm going to fix up your arm…"

Once Rex's arm was bandaged and a cooling wrap was applied, Otoha prepared to leave the Stark when Rex started walking.

"You're not coming with me."

"I know. But someone's got to guard the Stark, right? Besides, there might be stragglers trapped in the ruins…"

"Yeah, good idea. But your arm…"

"Don't worry. I happen to be ambidexterous," Rex replied as he twirled his Cerberus Shot with his left hand.

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you," Otoha commented as she exited the Stark.

"Good luck, Otoha."

"Be back in a jiffy."

Tossing her damaged helmet to the floor of the Stark's cargo hold, Otoha quickly dashed through the streets as Cosmo Liquid began making its way towards where the Jackdaw Flash had crashed. However, she soon realized that Cosmo Liquid was going to make it to the Flash first before she does, and from what she heard, this monster has an appetite for humans.

By now, Otoha would have switch places with Solas, but with Rex too near to see the light caused by her transformation, she could not risk it. On the other hand, she knew she would not be fast enough to reach the Jackdaw Flash before Cosmo Liquid. Otoha gritted her teeth, wondering what she could possibly do.

"I got to distract it somehow, can't get to them like this," Otoha muttered to herself as she aimed her Cerberus Shot at Cosmo Liquid and prepared to open fire.

Then she remembered the box that Solas had given to her on the day she bonded with her, taking it out of her pocket as she did so.

"You said these are Capsule Monsters or something, right? Er, which one should I use, Solas?" Otoha whispered as she opened the box to reveal five capsule-like objects coloured in red, blue, dark grey, black and silver

_My favourite one is the red one. Try him out,_ Solas replied.

Grabbing the red capsule, Otoha nodded before pressing the small button on its tip. Immediately, a ball of light shot out from the capsule into the sky and transformed into a pillar of light which then disappeared with a flash, revealing a dinosaur-like creature which roared.

"Wait, that's Agira? One of the monsters that helped humanity before?" Otoha asked as she stared at the new creature.

_Not really. That's a Capsule Monster._ _Artificial lifeforms based on actual ones that exists on planets around Nebula 78. This one is based on a predatory reptile from Planet Animal, and unlike Master Seven's Agira, mine's packing heat._

"Wait, the Agira that appeared before belonged to Ultraseven?"

_No, not at all. It was a wild beast and…_

"You're being sarcastic again."

_Oh, sorry… Well, yes, it is Ultraseven's, but like I said, this one's my personal Agira. Now, back to the situation at hand. Agira! Hold Cosmo Liquid back until help arrives and Otoha can transform into me_.

Receiving the telepathic message from his master, Agira nodded and, with astonishing speed that caused Agira to look like a blur, cleared the distance between himself and Cosmo Liquid within two second, body-checking the Giant Liquid Monster and knocking it away from the Jackdaw Flash. Agira then proceed to stand between the downed jet and Cosmo Liquid, almost like a protective gargoyle…

* * *

Third Roost, CROW Nest, Tokyo Bay

"Captain Fuyumi, another monster's taken to the field! It's Agira, a monster that helped the Ultra Garrison before," Teru said.

"It's a friendly monster! All units within the vicinity of the current situation, hold fire immediately! Do not fire upon Agira. I repeat, do not fire on Agira!"

* * *

Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture

Agira and Cosmo Liquid were now engaging in a grappling match, but when Cosmo Liquid began overpowering it, Agira began stabbing it with his horn. It then jumped up and landed on Cosmo Liquid, squashing the latter to the ground, but the mutated Cosmo Liquid twisted its head back far enough to unleashed a blast of hot steam than caused Agira to stumble away.

Meanwhile, Otoha has managed to reach the downed Jackdaw Flash, where Takatora was trying to pull an unconscious Karin free. Unable to pull the cockpit open, Otoha resorted to breaking it with her Othrus Beater. Unfortunately, she used too much strength and her Orthrus Beater smacked into Takatora's face, knocking him out as well, and no matter how much Otoha shook his shoulders, he won't stir.

"Oh boy… What to do, what to do, what to do?" Otoha mumbled as she began to panic.

By now, Agira and Cosmo Liquid's brawl was turning more and more violent. Just as Solas said, her Agira was indeed packing heat, firing an energy beam from his horn at Cosmo Liquid, an ability Ultraseven's Agira did not possess. The energy beam appears to be more concussive than piercing, as it did not penetrate Cosmo Liquid's skin but struck it like a freight train at high speed, sending Cosmo Liquid tumbling. However, Cosmo Liquid fired back with its steam blast, which temporarily blinded Agira long enough for Cosmo Liquid to began trying to stomp its head in.

By now, Otoha had managed to move Karin and Takatora to a safe place. Seeing Agira in trouble, Otoha quickly recalled it back into its capsule and stowed it away before taking out the Luna Blink.

"All right, Solas, your turn."

_As and when you're ready, Otoha._

Swinging the Luna Blink to the sky in a crescent motion, Otoha called out to the Ultrawoman who resides within her.

"_**SOLAS**_!"

* * *

Rex was beckoning a stranded family into the safety of the Jackdaw Stark's cargo hold when he witnessed a ball of light surge towards Cosmo Liquid and send it flying off its feet before taking the form of Ultrawoman Solas. He also noticed that Agira had somehow disappeared.

"Yeah, Solas! KICK ITS ASS!" Rex cheered as Solas engaged Cosmo Liquid in battle, frightening the family by accident in the process.

* * *

_Oh, urgh, now that I'm looking at it up close, this Cosmo Liquid looks really sick_, Solas commented as she grappled with Cosmo Liquid.

_Well, this company called Donaru Corporation were dumping toxic wastes into the lake it was living in_, Otoha explained.

_Those bastards… What kind of company is this Donaru Corporation?_

_I think they're weapons developers._

_Oh, great, merchants of death. Hate these people the most. Remind me to screw up and toss a monster into any of their buildings by accident when the opportunity arrives._

_Er… Okay?_

Solas punched Cosmo Liquid in the face and shoved it away from her. Undeterred, Cosmo Liquid turned invisible, but then Solas began emitting red energy waves around her from her palms before suddenly performing a roundhouse kick, striking something unseen which then appeared to crash into a building.

_Woah, a radar power? _Otoha asked as Cosmo Liquid shedded its invisibility.

_Ultra Wave. Learnt that from my friend 80, whom I told you about yesterday._

Cosmo Liquid suddenly unleashed a stream of hot steam at Solas when she was distracted. Although her kind was resistant to heat, since it was one of the energy sources used by them for their abilities, it does not make them immune, especially when they are caught off-guard. As Solas stumbled backwards from the surprise attack, Cosmo Liquid took the opportunity to wrap its tongue around one of her legs and trip her. It then began whaling on Solas with blows and stomps until Solas caught one of its feet and, with a grunt, shove it away from her.

As Cosmo Liquid got up, Solas somersaulted backwards before pulling her right arm back. Light particles appeared and formed into a circular saw-like shape around her right hand: The signature Ultra Slash used by her predecessors. Solas waited for the right moment before throwing the Ultra Slash attack at Cosmo Liquid, but deliberately aimed at the ground as she remembered her human host's comrades mentioning that Cosmo Liquid was a walking environment hazard in its current state. When the first two attack failed, Solas finally took the risk and fired her third Ultra Slash directly at Cosmo Liquid's legs.

The attack succeeded in knocking Cosmo Liquid off its feet, and thankfully no poison clouds were released, but due to the damage she received and the amount of energy attacks used, Solas had depleted her reserve supply of energy and was now burning through her default supply: She only has eighty seconds left and her Color Timer was already blinking furiously.

_Maybe you should modify your armor. Not exactly an advantage when your reserved energy supply meant for increasing your time on Earth keeps getting burned up from using energy attacks_, Otoha suggested.

_Too late for that. I have to surgically remove the armour from myself if I want to modify it_, Solas replied.

As Cosmo Liquid struggled to its feet, Solas held her palm forward and began trying to sense the emotions of Cosmo Liquid, hoping that she might be able to calm it down instead of having to destroy it, considering how she's only got enough juice for one Lunium Cannon.

_Please, talk to me… I want to help…_

Solas suddenly looked like she had been shocked by electricity and stumbled backwards. Within the psychedelic zone that is inside Solas, Otoha was not spared either as images of a calm, peaceful Cosmo Liquid lazily drifting about the depths of Lake Ashi flashed through her mind. This was followed by images of a curious Cosmo Liquid watching humans fishing on the lake, stealthily sending some fishes its way, then followed by even more images:

Cosmo Liquid witnessing human protesters arguing with security officers outside a Donaru Corporation construction site.

Donaru Coroporation workers dumping toxic wastes into the lake.

Cosmo Liquid devouring the toxic wastes to prevent the lake from becoming polluted.

The rage slowly setting in.

The first attack it launched on one of the Donaru Corporation-owned construction sites.

The pain as its body began to mutate and break down from the toxic.

Fear. Anger. Sorrow. By the time the images stopped, Otoha was close to tears.

_My God… It's… Cosmo Liquid's dying… It doesn't want to die… It just wanted to live peacefully in the lake it called home._

_I know. But it can no longer live in that lake anymore._

_Can't you help it. Maybe spare its life?_

_I have my methods. It's a fifty-fifty chance, though, but I shall take the gamble. After all, I run a monster sanctuary_, Solas replied with a reassuring tone.

Moving her arms in a circle like a tai chi practitioner, Solas placed her palms together and then threw her left arm forward, firing a bolt of energy in the shape of a bird at Cosmo Liquid. The bolt of energy struck Cosmo Liquid in the face, causing it to rear up in pain, but then it is enclosed in some sort of energy sphere which constantly pulsated with pink light, and to everyone's shock, Cosmo Liquid suddenly appeared to be starting to calm down.

_Solas, what did you do?_

_The Kalme Shot. It's a healing technique I created that also calms down monsters, but it does not work for those that have lost themselves to rage like Surasshuron._

As Solas explained her technique, Cosmo Liquid's body actually began to heal! The sickening green veins on its body began to disappear, and its bloodshot eyes were turning back to yellow. When the sphere disappeared, Cosmo Liquid was simply sitting on the ground, all of its aggression gone.

_You… You did it, Solas._

_Of course I can. I'm a scientist, girl._

Once again, Solas opened a wormhole in the sky before turning to Cosmo Liquid.

_You cannot stay here anymore. The humans will continue to hunt you down, but I can give you safety if you choose to come with me._

Cosmo Liquid stared at Solas, then looked at the direction of Lake Ashi, letting out a reluctant growl as tears began to leak from its eyes before it shuffled towards Solas, accepting her offer. Taking Cosmo Liquid by its hand, Solas took off into the sky, both of them entering the wormhole she created which leads to Planet Egufer while Rex, who had been standing outside the Jackdaw Saver watching the entire fight go down, gave Solas a parting salute while Takatora and Karin began to stir from where Otoha had left them…

* * *

**MARCH 16, 0800**

**TOKYO**

* * *

Donaru Corporation Building

"…_So far, CROW Far East has informed the media that they have no interest in finding out where the newly dubbed Ultrawoman Solas had taken Cosmo Liquid, only that they're glad it's no longer on Earth to be a threat. In other news, it has been confirmed that Cosmo Liquid's mutation was the result of illegal disposal of toxic wastes into Lake Ashi by the Donaru Corporation. At this moment, the CEO of Donaru Corporation, Donaru Zaiji, has not responded to any queries_…"

A gruff man in his forties standing in the middle of an office furiously switched off the television and kicked a chair over. His name was Donaru Zaiji, and he had just barely managed to escape a PR nightmare, the press having been demanding his reason for dumping the excess wastes produced by his company into Lake Ashi. Thanks to the report, his company had lost a dozen contracts within a single night.

"Damn those black birds, they ruined my reputation! Who cares about a damned monster? Why did they have to go and report on me?" Donaru Zaiji cursed as he took a swig from a bottle of whiskey.

Just as he placed the bottle down, his phone started ringing.

"Donaru Zaiji, who is this?"

"_Sir, it's Hiruya. Just wanted to update you that Project ATAC is going smoothly. Soon we will have the most powerful weapon ever made on Earth._"

"One that is more powerful than the technology of CROW?_"_

"_Of course._"

"Hmph. Well, they want to screw with us? Fine. How many prototypes are there at the moment?"

"_Four, sir._"

"Have their appearances been altered?"

"_No, sir. Might I dare to ask why?_"

"Set one of the prototypes aside once it is active. I plan to field test it sometime soon, so as to improve the remaining three and any new ones that come along."

* * *

Third Roost, CROW Nest, Tokyo Bay

"Wait, what do you mean we're one man short?" Otoha asked.

Third Unit were resting in their Roost when Fuyumi brought the matter of manpower, where Otoha, Takatora and Karin learnt that they were still short-handed.

"Well, all Strike Teams are supposed to have eight members. We've been short on manpower all these while, but today, Third Unit is finally filled up," Yves admitted.

"We were supposed to have four recruits, but only you three made it past the final test, so we've been scrounging around for one more member, especially now with Rex temporarily down for the count," Fuyumi explained as Rex waved his bandaged hand.

"Not to mention how Karin and Takatora can't really get along," Teru added.

"Hey, don't blame me for her mistakes," Takatora argued, a bandage wrapped around his head.

"Oh, you're what? Mr Perfection?" Karin snapped back, a large plaster on her right cheek.

"All right, you two, stop it! Our newest member was supposed to be with CROW Oceania, but he requested to come to Far East and has been assigned to us Third Unit, so that's one problem solved for us. You can come in now," Fuyumi called out.

The doors opened and a handsome young man with a Wings haircut of Filipino origins stepped into the Third Roost, wearing the same uniform as them.

"Third Strike Unit, meet Christopher Delgado Peralta, 26 years old. He was a coast guard helicopter pilot until recently. From this day on, he will be joining us as a field operative and also our rescue specialist," Fuyumi introduced.

"I hope to work well with you all. You can just call me Chris," the newcomer said as he shook hands with the others.

"Welcome aboard, Chris. Say, since you're here now, why not we go for a practice run with the Jackdaws? We haven't had time to practise and the last few missions have been quite haphazard because of our poor coordination?" Yves suggested.

"Hey, that's a good idea," Rex agreed.

Otoha took one glance at Takatora and Karin, both of whom were still glaring at each other.

"Good idea, I hope?" she whispered as she turned towards the screen…

* * *

***Yautja is the name of the alien species that are the titular characters of the **_**Predator**_** series**

****Cao Cao is a prominent warlord during the Three Kingdoms Era and a main prota/antagonist in the historical novel by **_**Luo Guanzhong**_

* * *

_**Next time, on Ultrawoman Solas…**_

Takatora's incompatibility with just about every member of Third Unit comes to light during a training exercise when his temper gets the best of him. Meanwhile, a new monster emerges in Western Bhutan, its natural armour plating proving to be resistant to even Solas's powerful Lambent Cannon attack...

* * *

**SCAN Archives Data: ****Giant Liquid Monster, Cosmo Liquid**

_**Height/Weight: **_58 mtrs/60,000 tons

_**File Category:**_ ZAT

_**First Appearance:**_ Tamagawa River, Japan on April 13, 1973

_**Original Powers:**_ Liquid form, prehensile tongue

_**Mutation Powers:**_ Hot steam blast, invisibility

* * *

**Character Bio: Aozuki Otoha (****青月****音羽****)**

**Age:** 21-22

**Birthday:** 11 July 2008

**Height:** 1.65 mtr

**Weight:** 55kg

**Birthplace: **Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

Aozuki Otoha is the scout and one of three new recruits for CROW Far East Branch's Third Strike Unit who wish to achieve an impossible goal: Humans and monsters co-existing peacefully. Many do not realize that this shy, gentle young lady also happened to be the heir to a great fortune and a former police officer with an impressive arrest record. During her first mission, she was rescued by the Ultrawoman known as Solas, who instinctively bonded with her to heal her injuries after seeing her sacrifice herself to save a child in return for Otoha being Solas's host during her tenure on Earth.

When necessary, Otoha can use the Luna Blink to transform into/switch places with Solas. Due to their bonding, Solas and Otoha can telepathically communicate with each other, and their shared idealogy makes them compatible with each other, although Otoha sometimes get annoyed by her new friend's unintentional sarcasm.


End file.
